Kevin's Watch

thanks Lorin. I'll certainly give it a shot (again). We have tried this before (when we were trying to get him to eat different foods--he can be quite fussy). He'll happily make anything. He just won't eat it after he's made it! As my mother once said "I've never met a child so stubborn!" But anything's worth another shot.

lorin wrote:

Seareach wrote:Ok all you mums and dads out there. I've got a parenting question:

SoS (who is only 6 and as lanky as it gets) is concerned about his weight!!

There are two reasons (I can see) for this: firstly, at school they're all into teaching about obesity and eating healthily. Fair enough, but I think that the way they go about it sometimes does not take into consideration overactive little minds. Secondly, Mr Seareach is very overweight, and SoS has says "I'm scared I'm going to get fat like daddy".

I've tried my hardest: I've explained that he just has to eat healthy food and get outside and play and he'll be ok. That didn't work. I got out a picture of Mr Seareach when I first met him (he was lanky then too) and done my best to explain that when people get older like mummy and daddy you have to work harder to stay fit/healthy/slim....that daddy drinks beer etc. I feel like I've done everything.

However, SoS is now starting to refuse to eat his dinner because he doesn't want to "get fat" (he's a fussy eater and sometimes getting him to eat a lot of different things is difficult at the best of times but....<sigh> I dunno). What do I do? Is it child psychologist time? I'm at my whits end here!

May I make a suggestion? Have your son pick the menu with you and you and he prepare the meal together. Let him pick the ingredients and teach him the basics (wait a few years for the chopping) Do this at least a few times a week. You will find he will take pride in his creations, and will want to eat what he has cooked. Also it will give him the opportunity to contribute to his nutrition. Cooking is a powerful skill that will help him throughout his life and help him avoid the fast food trap.

I did this with all my foster kids who have all kinds of food and nutrition issues.

An excellent suggestion, and though I'm no parent (never have been), there's a tidbit of info that you can use in conjunction with lorin's advice: introduce him to metabolism. The body's a funny thing, and likes habit. Eating regular meals is just as important as eating right and exercising. If one skips out on meals that the body would normally have (particularly breakfast), the body believes a famine is afoot and will start storing energy in the form of body fat. The importance of regular meals (along with the participation in their preparation as lorin suggested) should go a long way. Also, if it turns out the dinners are small meals, don't worry too much, the important meals are breakfast (which apparently should be rich in protein, like bacon and eggs! No joke!) and lunch.

Another tidbit: Muscles (which I believe we all view as good) have more mass than fat (which is bad). I'm sure we all know this, but sometimes it's good thing to know...especially if you're lanky and gain muscle mass, you'll end up gaining weight instead of losing it... which in this case is not a bad thing.

I could ramble on and on. My dad is a self-proclaimed nutritionist and has jawed off my ear on more then one occasion...

No help here, I'm afraid, Sea -- my kids were both miniature Hoovers.... Hmm. What about a sticker chart? He gets a sticker for every time he tries a new food (or eats X bites at dinner, or whatever) and when he earns a certain number of stickers, you, I dunno, take him somewhere he's been pining to go, or buy him some toy he's been pestering you for, or something.

Sticker charts as behavior training were all the rage a few years back. They may have fallen out of favor now. But it's worth a shot.

aliantha wrote:No help here, I'm afraid, Sea -- my kids were both miniature Hoovers.....

Since he is so aware of the effects of over eating, would it be possible to show him the detrimental effects to NOT eating? (without traumatizing the little guy)

tried stars (he doesn't give a toss about them! ). We do discuss with him his "growing brain" and since he loves Jimmy Neutron and wants to be a scientist I tell him that in order for him to do that he needs to eat the right food to help his brain grow. But, well...stubborn as is he. Wonder where he gets that from.

Anyhow, I appreciate everyone's suggestions. We shall continue to persist. Either that or I'm just going to SHOVE THE FOOD DOWN HIS THROAT!

Cameraman Jenn wrote:Sorus, you are SO NOT about to get fired. Seriously. They consider you one of the most valuable people there.

I had a great laundry time with Lucimay yet again. We had some seriously deep and interesting philosophical and metaphysical conversations. We also got to hang with Lenore who is a regular at the cafe. Very cool woman. We found out today that she is 74. Shocker that. It rained a fair bunch today which we needed so with my hiking yesterday and today's great afternoon with Lucimay it was a good weekend.

Not to split hairs, but they need me. They don't value me. I don't have any delusions about where I stand. But that's okay. It's not something I lose sleep over. There's nothing they could do to me that would begin to compare with what I went through at my last job, and I am well aware that I am still dealing with issues from my last job that are holding me back in many ways.

Cameraman Jenn wrote: I had a great laundry time with Lucimay yet again. We had some seriously deep and interesting philosophical and metaphysical conversations. We also got to hang with Lenore who is a regular at the cafe. Very cool woman. We found out today that she is 74. Shocker that.

Just wild speculation, but I think the rhythmic sound of the machines motivates conversation. For a time I used to go to the laundromat, and chat with the owner and the regulars there. Just small talk, though. We never got into heavy, cosmic stuff. But we're not in San Francisco, after all.

I don't think your laundry summits are gonna work for me, CMJ. If I bring my hamper onto the plane, they might suspect me of being a terrorist hoping to smother the passengers with dirty laundry...from the backwaters of Canada, no less!

Either Fed Ex it ahead or claim it as regular baggage.

matrixman wrote:If I bring my hamper onto the plane, they might suspect me of being a terrorist hoping to smother the passengers with dirty laundry...from the backwaters of Canada, no less!

Maybe, but according to a very accurate Science (Fiction) book (that I did NOT write), if you set up several dryers in the classic 'Stonehenge' position and turn them all on at the same time, you can transport yourself AND your hamper without even using a plane! Of course, you'll lose a sock in the process, but dem's de breaks.

Seareach wrote:tried stars (he doesn't give a toss about them! ). We do discuss with him his "growing brain" and since he loves Jimmy Neutron and wants to be a scientist I tell him that in order for him to do that he needs to eat the right food to help his brain grow. But, well...stubborn as is he. Wonder where he gets that from.

Anyhow, I appreciate everyone's suggestions. We shall continue to persist. Either that or I'm just going to SHOVE THE FOOD DOWN HIS THROAT!

Stickers for me worked well with my 5-6 year old. He was a chronic finger sucker and when he went to prep it was "noticed" - he didn't care too much about the stickers, more that after X amount of them on a calender he could get a special treat that he really wanted. I guess it works for some kids and not for others. My 4 year old daughter wouldn't do it...

lorin wrote:Since he is so aware of the effects of over eating, would it be possible to show him the detrimental effects to NOT eating? (without traumatizing the little guy)

Yeah, I was thinking along those lines. A tiny bit of trauma may be unavoidable though.

--A

Sea, the USDA (department of agriculture) has free downloadable activities and comics and so forth that teach kids about eating healthy and getting proper nutrition that are actually not too bad. Here is the link: teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/eatsma ... heets.html
There is also a link for info and aids for parents and teachers to help educate/motivate kids as well.
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle/

It might be a good place to get some fresh ideas for alternate approaches to SOS. You might also try talking to the teacher about it because chances are if she/he is scaring SOS into anorexia the teacher has probably scared other kids as well. They are so impressionable at that age that it's best to nip it in the bud before she/he freaks out an entire generation of kids.

On another note, I am tired. Had a long day at work and got swamped and Jacob took in a bunch of orders for the convention people without realizing how much stuff we already had to do so I ended up being at work until nine to finish projects he promised first thing in the morning.

Sorus, I know they do value you and also need you. It's a combination of both so don't dismiss yourself so easily. I figure the rest of this discussion is better in pm because of my swearing so check your pm's. Love you girl.

Feeling depressed.

Logged in to KW, saw that several quiet forums had new posts, and got really excited...

... only to discover that they're all Watchie announcements

...quietly pining for Terisa and Morn...

Rigel wrote:Feeling depressed.

Logged in to KW, saw that several quiet forums had new posts, and got really excited...

... only to discover that they're all Watchie announcements

...quietly pining for Terisa and Morn...

...sorry about that, Rigel.
Not everyone frequents different areas of the Watch, so I spammed everywhere...

I'm so feckin' grumpy today!

Me too Sea. Meeeee toooooo.

Wednesdays are 4-Hours-of-Biology Days. Woot. Not.

Spring Semester starts tomorrow. I'll be the 26 year old in glorified high school, trying to get the units done that she didn't do years ago. I'm taking Biology and Statistics (ugh) as they're requirements to teach Literature (shakes head). I enjoy going to college, I love learning, but I dunno.....I'm nervous. I haven't taken classes in a while.

Kaydene wrote:Wednesdays are 4-Hours-of-Biology Days. Woot. Not.

Spring Semester starts tomorrow. I'll be the 26 year old in glorified high school, trying to get the units done that she didn't do years ago. I'm taking Biology and Statistics (ugh) as they're requirements to teach Literature (shakes head). I enjoy going to college, I love learning, but I dunno.....I'm nervous. I haven't taken classes in a while.

You'll do fine.

Good luck with your biology studies, Kaydene.

I doubt I'd go back to school - in person, anyway.
Distance education would be it for me.

Orlion wrote:

Kaydene wrote:Wednesdays are 4-Hours-of-Biology Days. Woot. Not.

Spring Semester starts tomorrow. I'll be the 26 year old in glorified high school, trying to get the units done that she didn't do years ago. I'm taking Biology and Statistics (ugh) as they're requirements to teach Literature (shakes head). I enjoy going to college, I love learning, but I dunno.....I'm nervous. I haven't taken classes in a while.

You'll do fine.

Thanks. I bought one of the pens I really like. That ought to hold me.